Centrifugal laundry drier



Dec. 3, 1968 A. WAGNER CENTRIFUGAL LAUNDRY DRIER Filed Jan. 24, 1967\NVENTOR BY ALFRED WAGNER m MW M United States Patent 3,413,729CENTRIFUGAL LAUNDRY DRIER Alfred Wagner, Munich, Germany, assignor toMaschinenfabrik Bernhard J. Goedecker, Munich, Germany Filed Jan. 24,1967, Ser. No. 611,428 Claims. (Cl. 34-58) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Acentrifugal laundry drier whose top-suspended basket has an imperforate,downwardly flaring, conical outer wall and two hingedly attached bottomWall sections to permit bottom discharge. The bottom rim of the outerwall is notched, and the notches are bounded by the bottom wall portionswhen the basket is closed to provide radial discharge apertures for theextracted water.

Background of the invention This invention relates to automatic laundryequipment, and particularly to a bottom discharging centrifugal laundrydrier.

Bottom-discharging centrifuges are commonly employed in the separationof solids from liquids. They lend themselves readily to auomaticoperation if the solids drop spontaneously from the centrifuge basketthrough the opened bottom after extraction. The known bottom-dischargingcentrifuges are not suitable for drying wet wash because the relativelylight textile pieces cling to the basket after spinning, and cannot bedischarged spontaneously by gravity through the open bottom.

Summary of the invention The object of the invention is an improvementin the top-suspended basket of an otherwise substantially knowncentrifuge which makes the centrifuge suitable for extracting water fromwet wash, and for spontaneously discharging the partly dried materialwhen the bottom of the basket is opened.

The centrifuge basket of the invention has an imperforate outer wallwhich is annular about the axis of basket rotation and flares conicallyin a downward direction. The bottom wall of the basket may be movedtoward and away from a position of engagement with the outer wall inwhich the bottom wall downwardly closes the basket.

Radially extending openings in the basket for discharge of extractedwater are jointly bounded by the outer wall and the bottom wall so thatmaterial caught in the openings during spinning of the basket isreleased when the bottom wall is moved away from the outer wall by ahydraulic motor.

It has been found that extracted Wash is released readily from thebasket of the invention and drops from the basket when the bottom wallis moved away from the position of engagement with the annular outerwall.

Brief description of the drawing The sole figure of the attached drawingshows a centrifugal laundry drier of the invention in elevationalsection on the axis of basket rotation.

Description of the preferred embodiment The illustrated centrifugaldrier has a supporting frame 21 and an approximately cylindrical outershell 22. A basket 1 is suspended on the frame 21 by means of a normallyvertical tubular shaft 2 and a universal joint 3, conventional initself, and only partly indicated. The joint 3 and a non-illustratedpulley on the shaft 2 are enclosed in a housing 4 mounted on the frame21 which also supports a hydraulic drive motor 5.

Patented Dec. 3, 1968 The basket 1 has an annular, imperforate, outerfrustoconical wall 23 which defines the top opening of the basket andflares downwardly from the opening, and is divided into two compartmentsby partition walls 24, 25, which are attached to a cross bar 26 fixedlymounted on the lower end of the shaft 2.

A rod 6 is coaxially arranged partly within the tubular shaft 2, and itsupper end is connected by a non-illustrated thrust bearing to thepiston, not shown, in the hydraulic jack 7 which is mounted on thehousing 4. The lower end of the rod 6 projects from the shaft 2 and islinked by a pivot 8 to two extensible arms 9, 9 fixedly attached to theflat, imperforate bottom walls 11, 11' of the two basket compartments.The walls 11, 11' are attached to the partitions 24, 25 by respectivehinges 10, 10'.

Notches 12 circumferentially spaced about the lower rim of the basketwall 23 and the circumferential edges of the bottom walls 11, 11' boundsmall radial openings in the basket 1 when the bottom walls are held inthe illustrated operative position by the fluid pressure in the jack 7.

A brake 13 whose elements are mounted partly on the shaft 2 and partlyon the frame 21 in a conventional manner, not illustrated in detail,permit the basket 1 to be arrested in any desired angular position.Permanent magnets 14, 15 on diametrically opposite parts of the basketwalls 23, 11, 11 cooperate with a non-illustrated sensing coil on theshell 22 and electrically operated controls of the motor 5 and the brake13 in a known manner, not illustrated, to stop the basket in the twopositions in which the basket compartments are axially aligned with thedischarge opening of a loading chute 16.

An annular pipe 19 connected to a water line (not shown) and providedwith downwardly directed perforations spaced about its circumference andnot visible in the drawing is mounted horizontally on the chute 16 andis centered precisely on the nominal position of the basket axis. Acylindrical band 20 of sheet metal is attached to the outer face of thefrustoconical wall 23 by radial partitions 27 in such a manner thatseveral circumferentially distributed upwardly open compartmentstapering downwardly toward restricted axial openings are formed aboutthe basket wall 23.

A chute 28 coaxially arranged under the basket 1 and integral with theshell 22 leads to a horizontal belt conveyor 17 whose discharge end islocated above an inclined elevator 18. A portion of the casing 22 formsa curb about the basket 1 and is provided with a drain 29.

The afore-described apparatus is operated as follows:

The two compartments of the basket 1 are sequentially aligned with thechute 16 and are charged with wet wash. The motor 5 is started andrapidly accelerates the basket 1 to its operating speed. The charge inthe basket is driven toward the outer wall 23 by centrifugal forces, andwater thereby extracted from the charge leaves the centrifugal drierthrough the notches 12 and the drain 29.

If the charge of the basket 1 is not properly balanced or becomesunbalanced during extraction so that the shaft 2 deviates from itsnormal vertical position, the tube 19 is axially aligned with theexternal compartments between the band 20 and the wall 23 on the side ofthe basket 1 which holds the lighter load, and water discharged from thepipe 19 restores the needed balance, the water being retained longer inthe outer compartments than in the opposite inner basket compartmentwhich also receives liquid from the pipe 19.

When extraction is completed, the basket 1 is stopped, and the fluidpressure in the jack 7 is released so that the bottom walls 11, 11'swing downwardly in opposite angular directions from a common horizontalplane into the chute 28 until they are approximately vertical. Theextracted wash drops through the chute 28 on the conveyor 17, and istransferred to the next processing step by the elevator 18.

Centrifugals of the invention have been provided with automatic timingdevices and controls, conventional in themselves, which position thebasket 1 for loading, start and stop the spinning movement, open thebasket bottom for unloading, and again close it prior to the nextloading step. The entire cycle of operations is being performed in twominutes, and does not require an operator.

A hydraulic motor 5 has been found most advantageous for the desiredrapid acceleration of the basket 1, but the most important feature ofthis invention which permits automatic bottom discharge resides in thedownwardly flaring imperforate wall 23 of the basket. Centrifugal forcestends to drive portions of the extracted material into the holes of aperforated basket with sufiicient force to lock the extracted goods tothe basket, making bottom discharge impractical. If portions of the washare driven into the notches 12 while the basket 1 spins, they arereleased when the bottom walls 11, 11 are dropped.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosurerelates only to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that it isintended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of theinvention herein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do notconstitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention setforth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a centrifugal laundry drier having a normally vertical drive shaftand a basket mounted on the shaft for rotation with the shaft about acommon, vertically extending axis, the basket having an opening at thetop, the improvement which comprises:

(a) an imperforate outer annular wall of said basket extending aboutsaid axis, said wall defining said opening and flaring in a downwarddirection from said opening;

(b) bottom wall means, said bottom wall means and said annular wallconstituting members of said basket;

(0) actuating means for moving one of said members toward and away froma position relative to the other member in which the bottom wall meanssubstantially close said basket in a downward direction; and

(d) drain means for removing liquid from said basket while said bottomwall means are in said position thereof.

2. In a drier as set forth in claim 1, said outer wall and said bottomwall means jointly bounding a plurality of circumferentially spacedradially extending openings in said basket when said bottom Wall meansis in said position, said openings constituting elements of said drainmeans.

3. In a drier as set forth in claim 1, said bottom wall means includingtwo wall members pivotally secured to said outer wall for swingingmovement about respective horizontally extending axes, said wall membersextending substantially in a common plane in said position of the wallmeans, and moving in opposite angular directions from said plane whensaid bottom wall means are moved away from said position by saidactuating means.

4. In a drier as set forth in claim 3, said actuating means including arod member extending axially along said shaft, means for moving said rodmember axially relative to said shaft, and linkage means connecting saidrod member to said wall member for swinging the same about saidhorizontally extending axes when said rod member moves relative to theshaft.

5. In a drier as set forth in claim 4, said shaft being tubular and aportion of said rod member being received in said shaft.

6. In a drier as set forth in claim 5, said outer wall beingsubstantially conical, and said wall members and said outer wall jointlybounding a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially extendingopenings in said basket when said bottom wall means is in said positionof engagement, said openings constituting elements of said drain means.

7. In a drier as set forth in claim 1, said actuating means including amotor and motion transmitting means interposed between said motor andsaid one member.

8. In a drier as set forth in claim 7, said motion transmitting meansincluding a motion transmitting member extending in the direction ofsaid axis and being moved in said direction by said motor when said onemember i moved by said actuating means.

9. In a drier as set forth in claim 1, a support, a portion of saidshaft axially remote from said basket being suspended from said support,and balancing means responsive to a deviation of said axis from avertical position for loading a portion of said basket to restore saidvertical position.

10. In a drier as set forth in claim 9, said balancing means including atubular ring mounted on said support above said basket and centered onsaid axis in said vertical position, said ring being formed withperforations for downward axial discharge of a liquid from the same, anda plurality of upwardly open compartments, said compartments beingcircumferentially distributed on the outside of said annular wall,normally aligned with said openings in the direction of said axis, andformed with restricted downward openings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 970,022 9/1910 Dinsmore 3458 XFOREIGN PATENTS 1,234,182 5/1960 France.

JOHN J. CAMBY, Acting Primary Examiner,

